The Second Shadow of Squall Leonhart
by Scribbleness
Summary: Squall Leonhart is a young mercenary with two souls trapped in his single body: his own and a powerful spirit of a prince called Noctis. The only way to set himself free from the latter was to protect Noctis' descendant from the sorceress, a condition the goddess imposed in exchange for his soul's peace. The only question is, who is the descendant?


**Disclaimer**: Anything that is not mine, is not mine. The game, the characters, they are not mine. The concept of the story is mine, but the elements added that were not originally mine, is definitely not mine. I hope that's enough disclaimer!

Author's Note: This is new fanfic that I'm working on, which just came to me whilst listening to some music. Also, there's this fangasm going on in me about the very much anticipated Final Fantasy XV, which had to be poured over in writing, else my head would explode. Hihi... Anyway, if you have, by any chance, read my previous short fic which is "The Bright Silence of the Stars", it was somewhat the prequel of the fic you are reading now. You don't need to read the previous fic because everything will be explained here, but it might help only if you want to read it. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

The first metal door slid open to make way for Balamb's most dangerous man alive.

The distinct sound of friction the laser lights around his cuffs bounced against the sturdy metal walls of Balamb Garden's maximum level security prison. Convicts stared quietly at the walking prisoner from their respective cells, watching him as he approached the second door with five guards standing around him, unrecognizable by the polished ash gray helmets they were wearing. The next door slid open.

The prisoners were significantly louder, but their noise was careful. There were subtle, but angry grunts from some and whispers that were obviously not meant to be understood as the man passed by their cells with his entourage. He did not shift his eye to look at anyone or anything other than the door before him. Not even the slightest.

The third door slid open.

This time, there was not a single person to watch him other than the guards surrounding him. There was only that familiar black room lit with small circular bulbs attached on the walls. He could only hear their own footsteps against the concrete floor, and the buzzing sound of the laser securely sealing the cuffs around his wrists. For about ten times, these were accompanied by the screeching sounds of the surveillance cameras scattered on the room's ceiling as they take their every step. As they reached the entrance to the next room, two taller men dressed in their mercenary uniforms without the helmets greeted them. One of them promptly entered the passcode on a glass screen glowing with numbers conveniently attached next to the door.

The fourth door opened.

The dark room was dimmer, but appropriately lit. In the middle of the room stood a large cell encased in metal walls, saving the front side which was entirely made out of glass, including its door. The cell was blindingly lit, making its contents more apparent. There was a stainless white bed at the left corner, a toilet bowl sitting next to a sink, a white chair at the opposite corner, and a group of numerous holes in the middle of the floor where the air seeped through. It was a familiarly depressing sight for him.

Directly in front of the cell stood a desk and a chair, where a figure of a man was sitting, seemingly enjoying his apple. The crunching sound of his bite was the loudest sound inside the room. His legs were crossed on top of the desk, and his head was resting against his left arm. He turned around as the prisoner and the guards approached. A smirked crossed his face as he stood up and threw his finished apple into a trash bin nearby. He too was a familiar but grim sight to the cuffed man.

The guard standing in front of the group examined the relaxed mercenary. His tall stature was big enough to take out the five armed guards singlehandedly. His spiky, yet short blond hair added to the cockiness the reeked out of him, further irritating the prisoner.

The guard started speaking. "Seifer, I was informed Watts is going to be in charge of Leonhart."

The blond man sniggered. "Your brave volunteer backed out. Turns out he's a little girl hiding under a man's clothes. Can't even handle Puberty boy."

The guard's lips curled in annoyance. "Did Sir Kramer assign you to this?"

"Yup. He was going to get good ol' Biggs to be at it again. But when he finally realized that Puberty boy escaped him thrice already, he finally decided to throw in his best SeeD." Seifer replied smugly.

"I see you were keeping count."

"Why yes Cloud, haven't you?"

The guard chose not to answer his question. "Very well then. I will leave Leonhart under your watch." He nodded at the four other soldiers behind him, who proceeded to lead the prisoner into his cell. After they have closed the transparent door, a flat computer screen emerged from Seifer's desk with an alphanumerical keyboard. Cloud typed the passcode while the taller man stared at the prisoner with narrow eyes.

He was sitting on the lone chair inside the cell, his blue eyes staring blankly at the white floor beneath him. His lean body was slouched forward while his arms rested on his lap. His short, shaggy brown hair concealed most of his face, only revealing his sculpted jaws and slightly opened lips. The moment Cloud finished typing on the bright, flat screen, the cell's door molded with the glass around it, effectively sealing the occupant inside. The laser around the prisoner's cuffs disappeared, relaxing both his hands, though he did not show the slightest reaction.

"We are done here. We will leave now, Almasy." Cloud said as he turned to follow his fellow guards towards the exit. "I trust you can take care of things from here."

Seifer looked over his shoulder as the five men left and the metal door closed. Once again silence took over, save for the footsteps he was taking towards the cell. He paused in front of the glass wall separating him from the other man and stared. But the brown haired one did not recognize his presence.

Another silent moment was allowed to pass, yet neither has moved a muscle. Seifer took a deep breath and shook his head before heading to his desk.

"You know Squall, I'm beginning to wonder if you really want to get yourself killed." He said to the prisoner while he typed something on the flat screen and it folded flat on the desk. "It's none of my goddamn business, but you are being an idiot for trying."

The metal door behind him slid open and Seifer trudged his way out.

* * *

Darkness was surrounding him, covering everything outside his cell like a black blanket, not even leaving the desk to be visible. The light in his small enclosure ensured that he would be deceived into believing that there was nothing else for him beyond the point of his boundaries. Squall did not need to look in order to confirm. He had been here several times before, after all. He was sitting on his chair, staring at nothing but his lap while waiting for minutes to pass when a voice broke his silence.

"How long do you plan to stay here?"

Squall closed his eyes wearily.

"We need to break free from here, Squall."

Squall inhaled deeply. "You think I don't know that?"

The other voice came right behind him. "This is the fourth time we're having this discussion."

"If I escape again, it's going to be death sentence for us."

"I am not as afraid of death, as you should be." The voice said, coming from in front of him this time.

Squall finally looked up to peer at his lone company. He was a tall man covered in black clothes, with a structure as lean as his own body. His hair was sleek and black, with some covering most of his forehead. He looked so much like a human, save for his eyes. Hi eyes were distinct to Squall as they were glowing red. Those same eyes were staring at him reprovingly.

"I have my own life to live, Noctis." Squall said to his companion acidly. "Something you should not have any business of."

"Then, live." Noctis replied.

A moment of silence was allowed to pass. Squall examined his cell.

"This cell is different from last time, despite looking exactly the same." He said.

"The glass that they used was no ordinary, bulletproof glass. It is made of crystal, with magic that is capable of molding itself together upon command." Noctis replied.

"The command is coming from the tablet on Seifer's desk. And a passcode."

"If we escape the first room, there will be guards greeting us in the next room."

"There will also be surveillance cameras to watch us."

"After that, there will be two more highly secured areas to go through."

Another moment passed between them.

Squall hung his head down. "Seifer will be waiting for us outside. I just know it."

Noctis looked at him. "He will. But we will outrun him."

Escaping was not difficult. Squall knew that. The two of them had been doing it for several times before. It was getting caught that made it difficult for both of them, especially when Seifer was involved.

"We can't fight him. We can't hurt him. Not even a scratch on him." Noctis added.

"I know." Squall replied. "That's what annoys me the most. That's why we keep coming back in here."

"Don't be. He might be the key to your own freedom from me."

"Only if he is your descendant. We have never been sure that he actually is. Growing up in Galbadia does not make him your descendant. And having a strong connection to the Trepe royal family does not prove anything!" Squall could feel his voice rising in crossness as he glared at Noctis, who was standing by the transparent wall on his right side. Neither his reflection nor his shadow was present. The wall only mirrored Squall's own. When he noticed this, Squall looked away.

Noctis noticed Squall's reaction and turned around to look at the absence of his own image in the mirror. "I apologize for bringing you here again. For driving you into doing what I was meant to do alone, leaving you no choice. I'm sorry that you are stuck with me. I too want my own freedom. My own peace." Noctis turned around to face Squall. "I did not choose this. You are well aware of that. But I have to find my descendant, to ensure their safety. This is the condition the goddess gave me to free my soul from the bounds of this world."

"Tch!" Squall jerked his head to the other side in reply. "It's none of my business that you chose to be an aeon. It was you who trapped your own soul here, not me."

Anger reeked out of Noctis, and Squall could very well feel it. "I did it for a beloved. To be with her. To protect her. You may not understand it now, but you will do the same one day."

Squall met Noctis' glowing eyes, his blue orbs glowering. "Do not waste my life for your own mission. Do not waste my soul."

Noctis shook his head, his eyes not leaving Squall's. "I do not intend to. I do not want to risk your life. To share a single body is already an imprisonment for me and yours. But my freedom is the price you must pay for your own. As it is-"

"… the will of the goddess." Both of them concluded.

Squall's eyes were suddenly diverted from Noctis to the metal door which suddenly opened. Seifer came in with two other guards behind him, holding a tray with mashed potatoes, toasted bread, and what appeared to be mixed vegetables. The other guard was holding a tall glass of water. Seifer approached his desk and typed the passcode on a flat screen, prompting the glass door to Squall's cell to open. Squall looked at Noctis then to Seifer and the guards who were delivering his meal inside. Neither of the guards nor the blond mercenary noticed Noctis, who was standing right beside Squall.

As a matter of fact, they never noticed him at all. They never knew how Squall's second ghost was carefully studying them with narrowed red eyes.

They both waited until Seifer sealed the glass door and the three disappeared beyond the metal door.

Noctis broke the silence. "We will leave after you have finished your meal, while Seifer is absent."

* * *

_RIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!_

Cloud's eyes widened at the sound of the alarm. He looked up at the flashing red light attached on the higher part of the wall.

"Shit!"

Cloud grabbed his large sword and his rifle, rushed out of the locker room along with his fellow guards. He knew exactly where to go.

He run through the first door, then the second. And when he reached the third door, he saw the two unconscious mercenaries, sitting on either sides of the closed door where they kept Squall Leonhart's cell. Quickly, he entered the passcode as the other guards attended to the unconscious mercenaries.

"Call the med team!" One of them said.

When Cloud finally opened the door, he stopped on his tracks.

Squall's crystal cell was empty, the door was opened without any sign of force. The tablet on the desk was exposed and running. Cloud quickly grabbed his small communicator.

"Seifer, Leonhart has escaped. I repeat, Leonhart has escaped."

Seifer, who was waiting at the outdoor grounds of Balamb's Security Confinement, replied from the other end of the line. "I know. I'm waiting for him."

Seifer closed his communicator and hid it inside his pocket. He signaled a group of mercenaries on his left to spread around in search of the escaped prisoner, and motioned the group on his right to surround the whole place. They were already given orders in case this happens again.

_Kill on sight. _

Seifer readied his gunblade and waited for any sign of Squall.

Before the mercenaries could take on their positions, a loud explosion boomed from the highest ceiling of the huge institution. Black smoke crept out from the hole as lightning materialized amidst it, like black clouds in a storm. Gasps escaped from the mouths of some mercenaries when a figure leapt out from the smoke and down to the ground. The figure was wearing a white shirt and a pair of white pants, matched with white shoes, with only his brown hair making him recognizable without a doubt. It was Squall Leonhart. Only he wasn't the passive Squall that Seifer kept in his cell. The blond mercenary narrowed his eyes at the strange, but familiar feature Squall had.

His blazing eyes were glowing red.

His body was surrounded by levitating swords, which, at his command, attacked the mercenaries waiting for him as he neared the ground. Seifer was attacked by one of his swords, which he easily evaded, but did not leave him. He made his way towards Squall, but the sword kept coming back to parry with him.

"Shit!" Seifer slashed his sword at the invisible weilder, but the sword leapt to his behind. Seifer turned around and blocked its attack. Gathering his strength, he pushed it away as much as he could. Quickly gaining his posture, he aimed his Gunblade at Squall, who was glaring at him from a far off distance.

Seifer inhaled deeply and was ready to pull the trigger.

A nanosecond too late, his invisible enemy smacked the back of his head with the butt of the sword. Seifer was rendered unconscious.

While Squall gained a lot of help from the swords, he was still outnumbered by the mercenaries ready to recapture him. A mercenary wielding a gun shot a bullet straight to the side of his head, but Squall's swift movement propelled it away with a single wave of his finger. Another was about to attack him with a sword, but he quickly stroke him with another sword that rapidly came to his aid. A female mercenary wielding a spear screamed "Fire!" on him, which he quickly countered with a much more powerful blizzara spell in one look. The strong force of the spell shoved her further away from him.

Squall was continuing on his way when a weaponless blond mercenary with a black tattoo on one side of his face blocked his tracks. Squall was taken aback at the sight of him. He knew who he was; a good friend that he grew up with in the Garden. His name was Zell Dincht.

"Squall! Don't do this! Don't let us do this to you!" The mercenary said. "C'mon man!"

"Sorry Zell," Squall replied as he walked past him. "I can't. I will just keep escaping."

"But there won't be any next time for you, and you know that!" Zell insisted pleadingly. "We have the order to kill you now. But Kramer can change that if you just surrender. C'mon Squall, just surrender already! I don't want any of this happening to you!"

Squall paused. "I'm sorry Zell."

"Then," Zell positioned on a fighting stance. "I will just have to fight you into surrendering then."

Squall turned around to face his friend. He narrowed his red eyes. "I don't want to fight you Zell. I don't want to hurt you."

This angered Zell. "RAAAAHHH!" He jumped towards Squall and threw fast, meteoric punches at Squall, who easily blocked and avoided them. "I. Don't. Care!" Zell yelled in between punches. "I. Want. You. To. Live!"

In a brisk motion, which was too fast even for the speedy Zell, Squall caught his fists with his own hands. Before the blond could register how Squall was able to do such feat, he was thrown to the ground, much farther from the prisoner.

Zell groaned loudly from the pain at the right side of his ribs. He clutched it tightly as he rolled against the ground. When Zell regained himself slightly from the pain of the impact he took a quick glance at Squall's previous spot.

He was gone.

"Damnit Squall! DAMNIT!" Zell screamed in between his gritted teeth.

* * *

Zell was sitting on one of the white-sheeted beds inside the Balamb Garden's infirmary, along with many other SeeD mercenaries. He was holding a bag of ice against head, while his exposed chest was wrapped with white bandage. He was looking around the room to look at his wounded comrades. Some acquired cuts, while the luckier ones only had scratches and bruises. They were wounded and hurt, but nothing too fatal. As far as he knew, no one died from the incident. Thank Hyne for that.

A familiar woman in white lab gown approached him and handed Zell a couple of pills in a small, plastic cup. Zell examined it. "What are these, Doc Kadowaki?"

"Painkiller and antibiotic, in case of infection." The woman replied while pouring him a glass of water. She offered it to Zell after he had swallowed the pills.

"Tough day, huh." Doctor Kadowaki said when Zell was done.

"We had him." Zell hung his head down. "I had him." He looked sullenly at his fists.

"That's the most dangerous man in Balamb for you." Doctor Kadowaki replied as she offered Zell a new bag of ice for his head. "Here, while we wait for the painkiller to take effect. It won't be for long."

"Thanks." Zell took the bag and carefully placed it on his head, his eyes wincing in pain.

"I know him, he's not dangerous at all. Squall's a good guy. He may be tactical, and strong-"

"Really strong. Powerful even." The female doctor cut in addition.

"Yeah, powerful." Zell agreed. "But not a bad guy."

"At the rate of his attack, I'm actually quite surprised that nobody was killed."

"Yeah." Zell exhaled. "But, whenever he does that, when he goes super-Squall, I don't know, it's just… it's not him. It's Squall all right, he called me by my name. He knows me, and he knew better than to really hurt me and everyone else. But it was not him." He looked at the doctor with despondent eyes. "His eyes were red. Like, flaming red. And he had this hundreds of swords surrounding him under his control, his magic is too powerful, and his strength is… unimaginable. I mean…He might have had those since birth, but…" He removed the bag of ice and examined it, as if looking for answers.

The doctor gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "I understand what you mean."

"I know he's not supposed to be locked up in jail, but he's not supposed to be out there either. Ugh! I don't know." Zell placed the bag again on his head.

"There are only so few of us who understand Squall like you do." Doctor Kadowaki began gathering Zell's old ice bag, the glass and the cups on a stainless tray. "The only part I don't get is, why can't Squall explain his actions?"

Zell shrugged. "I don't know. Can't say we didn't even give him the chance. But maybe it is something beyond our own comprehension."

* * *

Squall took another step on a large rock, careful not to touch the Fire Cavern's flaming ground. He finally reached a bridge with a more solid pathway leading to the center of the cave, which was a large, circular rock platform surrounded by a body of flaming lava underneath. Close to the edge of the platform was a short statue of an armored man with a face resembling Noctis', riding on a horse. Small replicas of swords surrounded it in two entwined circles. Squall stopped at the center of the platform and knelt. He rapidly brushed his hands on the ground until a square outline appeared. He pushed it down like a button, and it slid to the right side, revealing the black handle of a gunblade. Carefully but hastily, Squall pulled it up. He examined it before placing it beside him and pulling a set of dark clothes from the same hole. He wore his new white shirt, a pair of leather pants, a pair of black boots, and a black jacket that donned a hood. He picked up his gunblade, and sheathed it behind him. He paused and looked to his left.

There stood the statue, with a name written underneath it; "**Odin**". Following the name was a series of engraved texts.

**In memory of the brave Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum,**

**who became an aeon in service of a beloved summoner,**

**who fought the Fal'cie for the freedom of all summoners.**

Further down were more texts, with lines connecting one name to another. It was a family tree, starting from the name "**Seven Lucis Caelum**" with the year "**1700**" printed beside it. It ended with a couple named "**Machina and Rem Kunagiri**" in the year "**2076**".

"It still does not help that your family tree ends six generations ago." Squall commented nonchalantly.

"And I still don't know why none of the last children bothered to update it." Noctis replied. "Machina was the last person I saw visiting my memorial." He approached the statue. "He was the only one who remembered."

Squall heard this story several times before, and he knew what followed; Noctis never saw the Kunagiri's children. He never even knew how many were there. The last time he saw his descendant Machina and his wife Rem, was when they visited his memorial. They were newly married and were still without a child. They visited to engrave their names on the family tree, and to "introduce" Rem to Noctis as the newest member of the family.

And that was it, the last memory of Noctis of his descendants. And it all had to happen six generations ago.

Squall looked at Noctis before slowly approaching him and standing beside the dark spectre. _That's a lot of generations you missed. _

"I know." Noctis replied to Squall's thoughts. "Being trapped here gave me no clue about the outside world. The goddess gave me you to—"

"set you free from this cave," Squall cut him in the middle of his sentence.

"and fulfill the mission she gave me. To grant me my freedom." Noctis concluded.

_And mine._

Squall looked at the family tree engraved on the ground. "We will find them. Your descendant." _I have no choice._

"Neither do I." Noctis responded darkly.

Squall sighed. "What difference does it make." He turned away from Noctis and the statue. "If they catch me, they will kill me anyway. Whether or not we find the descendant."

"I have to find them, in order to protect them from the sorceress, just like what the goddess told me." Noctis looked over his shoulder towards Squall. "And I will make sure I do. I will do everything to find them."

"There's no sorceress yet." Squall replied acidly. "She has not arrived yet."

"The more that we should find them before she does."

"Whatever." Squall knew that his body would never lose a soul, it had two after all- when one leaves, the other stays. But Noctis is too bent on doing his duty, and his powerful spirit would not lose to Squall. He knew that if he dies, Noctis would take over, since this was the body the goddess granted him, and he was pretty sure would not be getting another. But at least Noctis would have a second shot at life. Squall wouldn't, he would only be at the mercy of Noctis' best capability to save his neck. After all, Noctis needed him, like a parasite to a host, in order to become solid. But unlike any other parasite, Noctis granted him insurmountable powers that practically made him invincible. But over it, over anything, Squall would always choose freedom at this point. He just wanted to get over Noctis' purpose and get rid of him for good, so he could go on and find his own purpose. Squall pulled up his hood to cover most of his face and began walking towards the exit of the cave, while the other followed. A second later, Noctis swiftly moved into Squall and allowed himself to be absorbed by the latter's body, as they made way to the world outside.

_This is our last chance. We can't get caught anymore._

* * *

A/N: I hope this had been a good start for you readers!


End file.
